Winemaker Notes
The 2022 The Estate Chardonnay is an enticing pale gold in the glass. An exuberant nose evokes white peach, nectarine, Meyer lemon curd, quince and Anjou pear accented with essences of honeysuckle, toasted hazelnut and wet river stone. Fresh and nervy, the wine displays a thrilling tension between lithe fruit expression and vibrant acidity, beautifully balanced by a touch of richness from barrel fermentation in partial new oak. The wine finishes with a lush fruit note that tempers into a lingering minerality.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A bright yellow/silver color, the 2022 Chardonnay The Estate is expressive in the glass with notes of wild flowers, pineapple rind, saline, delicate baking spice, and ripe pear. It’s medium to full-bodied and has a vibrant, ripe spine of acidity, with notes of candied lemon, as well as nicely balanced richness with a weightless feel. Mouthwatering, fresh, and long, it will have a wide drinking widow over the next 6-8 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Chardonnay The Estate has a pretty perfume of grilled peaches, flaky pastry, clover honey, toast and matchstick. The light-bodied palate balances concentrated, savory flavors with bright acidity, and it has a long, honey-nut finish.
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Wine Spectator
Offers an energetic mix of pomelo, lemon sherbet, pear and Honeycrisp apple flavors on a sleek, juicy frame. Pineapple, lime zest and orange blossom details add complexity and verve, with a touch of Himalayan sea salt on the finish.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
On the far western edge of the larger Sonoma Coast appellation, the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA hugs right up against the Pacific coast. Vineyards, planted at rugged elevations between 920 to 1,800 feet, occupy only two percent of the total land in the AVA. Fort Ross-Seaview growers believe that the region boasts an ideal mix of sunshine, cool air and beneficial stress for producing high quality Chardonnay and Pinot noir.